Dangerous Words: How the Term “Chinese Virus” Led to Threats, Violence and Losing My Doctor

I haven’t been well this past week. But, that isn’t anything unusual considering I suffer from several chronic illnesses. However, when I contacted my doctor’s office recently because of my fevers, headaches and pain, I was given a telephone appointment.

During my appointment, my doctor apologized for not seeing me in person and then informed me that his office was closed until further notice. At first, it didn’t dawn on me as to why the office was closed. I made the assumption that it was because of the Corona Virus.

Earlier in the day, I had been reading The President’s Twitter feed while growing increasingly frustrated as he, and countless others, called the cause of the pandemic the “Chinese Virus” and the “Kung-Flu”.

Then, while watching President Trump address the nation on the Covid-19 virus, a light bulb flickered on in my brain.

As the President repeated the words “Chinese Virus”, “Because it’s from China” and “They (the Chinese) are trying to say it came from the US military, maybe now they will stop,” I remembered the photo I took outside my doctors office a few days ago.

My stomach twisted into knots and heat radiated up my body and into my head. I felt like a cartoon character, turning red in the face with steam blowing out both of my ears.

My doctor is a geriatric and chronic illness specialist. He’s speaks quickly, always seems a bit frazzled but has always called my family members by name. He listens, allows me to be a part of my treatment plan and is passionate about helping people who are sick.

He lives nearby and jogs at the very park I helped build in 1999. He’s happily married, has an infant daughter and stops by the Speedway, on his way home, to grab a gallon of milk, from time to time.

My doctor is also Chinese.

I saw him about a week ago. I was called in to redo my surprise drug test, a requirement of being an opioid patient. That was the day I saw the sign on the door leading into the office. It read:

Community Health Network’s goal is to provide a healing environment.

We have a Zero Tolerance Policy for any type of aggressive behavior.

Some examples of aggressive behavior include:

• Abusive/offensive language
• Verbal harassment
• Threats of harm
• Physical assault

Failure to comply may result in removal from facility, dismissal from the practice, arrest and/or legal action.

If you see something concerning, please let us know.

Baffled as to why the sign was on the door, I asked the medical assistant what was going on. As he took my blood pressure, he gave me an uncomfortable grin and said, “Don’t worry. It’s just stupid, racist people. The police were called in and no one was hurt this time, thank goodness.”

Call me dense or a space cadet but it just didn’t click.

I am not going to sit here and say that I’m color blind, as a recognize color as a beautiful part of the diversity of human beings. However, I will admit to seeing people as humans first, then, who they are (friend, colleague, doctor, sales clerk, that handsome man at the car dealership). And then, maybe after personality traits, sense of humor or being a snappy dresser, I see race, religion and other things some people use to catalog others.

In my brain, it goes something like this:

Dr. Zhu>my doctor>male>funny>compassionate>sometimes scatter-brained>proud papa>hard-worker>Chinese

And right now, I am questioning my way of seeing the world. Maybe I should be seeing people as their race first…. but not to judge,rather, to be aware of how they are being treated, to recognize, in this case, the danger they may be in.

Words can be dangerous.

In this case, as we all are Godsmacked and wandering through daily life wondering what’s next, it is extremely important to recognize the impact of the words that we use and how those words may be affecting others.

And although the Covid-19 virus seems to have originated from China, calling it the “Chinese Virus” has deep and lasting repercussions on Chinese and Asian Americans everywhere. There have been reports of racist-driven vandalism, threats against Asian-Americans and senseless violence.

This isn’t about having someone to blame for this outbreak nor is it an excuse to take out fears and anxiety on someone. Furthermore, because we called an illness The Spanish Flu 100 years ago, doesn’t make it alright to call this the “Chinese Virus” now.

Believe it or not, we have evolved a great deal in the last 100 years.

As doctors, nurses and healthcare workers race to the front lines to help each and every one of us, risking their own health and that of their families, we need to be mindful of our actions and our words.

Hundreds of patients in my community are now without a doctor. The elderly can no longer access their weekly appointment with the Diabetes specialist, housed within the walls of my doctor’s practice. The chronically ill have no place to go when their illness flares and they need medical care.

My daughter, my son, myself and hundreds more are left with uncertainty. And worse yet, my doctor and his staff are in fear for their lives.

At a time when we need as many doctors as possible, these dangerous words are taking doctors out of commission, forcing them to practice medicine behind closed and locked doors. We need them more than ever right now.

Please, watch your words during this time. We are all collectively holding our breath, hoping we don’t get sick and praying that this ends quickly.

Let’s not continue to take doctors away from people who need them. And most of all, let’s not alienate others because of their race. This is a time we need to pull together, as human beings, not apart.